


Counting down

by PannyBx



Series: They deserve to be happy [2]
Category: Criminal Minds, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-02 12:25:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4059925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PannyBx/pseuds/PannyBx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's coming up to Spencer and Remy's anniversary both have got plans.</p><p>Remy's consulting Rogue and Spencer's consulting JJ, until he meets Jean-Luc for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Counting down

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to He's Happy x

Remy LeBeau may not have an internal clock that registered everything down to the second like some people (or one person in particular) but he knew that in exactly four days he would have been with Spencer Reid for one year.

 

He felt an incredibly smug, gloating feeling towards whoever started the, 'Remy's railroad relationships,' pool in the mansion (Rogue was his main suspect), with the original bet being one to see how long he and Spencer would last. No one called a year and the highest was only a few weeks. He guessed most had thought their relationship was a joke, with Spencer being the punchline, which he supposed was somewhat justified. His on-off.... thing.... with Rogue had been disastrous, and though she would always be close to his heart, there was no way he would go back to that. Not now he'd been with Spencer, which seemed to highlight just how unhealthy their relationship had been in a way the fights, torment and betrayals hadn't. Apart from Rogue, the X-men and students had never seen him be serious about anyone before.

 

Fighting with Rogue had always been a part of their relationship; Remy didn’t question it. However, after the trial, things just kept on going wrong for them. Nothing they did went their way and they just kept on saying the wrong things around each other. Eventually, after a fight so explosive that they had been kicked out the house until they “sorted their shit out” as Logan snarled at them. They decided to cool it off and see how they worked out of a relationship. Remy didn’t flirt and restrained himself around others, which Rogue seemed to appreciate. They still had a very deep bond though. They would always have that, relationship or not.

 

Well, that had been that, for Remy. He thought that Rogue had been his second chance after Bella; his chance for roots and family. She was the first woman he could say, without doubts, that he had loved. Remy had resigned himself to a life of one night stands and empty words; to watch as everyone found their soulmate and move on. Whether he would have gone back to Rogue eventually, he didn’t know, because it was in that dark place that Spencer found him.

 

The tall, lanky genius with dark hazel eyes that shone with more colours than he could name stuttered his way into his life. They were each other's equal and other half. Spencer made up for where Remy lacked and vise versa; they were each other's missing piece. He knew exactly what Spencer would say and do, yet was completely surprised and in awe every time. And, while on the outside they couldn't be more different, on the inside, soul-deep, where it counted, they fit. His pure honesty was the perfect balm for the deceit and lies of his daily life. In one year Remy had never felt so alive or happy; what was the rush of diving into battle, or holding your breathe as the fate of a gamble was decided, when he had Spencer's smiles to knock him senseless and his touch to rob him of his heartbeat?

 

Rogue had, oddly, (despite the pool) been quite supportive of them. He didn’t understand why- maybe she thought that she’d ruined him for women? In a way, that was true, because Remy would have always held them up to Rogue in comparison.

 

Spencer, though, was completely different.

 

It was six days ago when Remy knew that he was going to ask Spencer to marry him.

 

Most of the team had been gathered in the living room, even the Professor and Hank, with the students safely in bed. They were all holding their breath as they watched the BAU team- their greatest allies in the FBI system- facing a serial killer who was having a psychotic break, with a bomb strapped to his chest.

 

They worked in a system; Kate, JJ, Rossi and Hotch carefully skirted around the unsub, gently moving people away from the area, but with their guns trained on the man. Derek was the second closest to the unsub, having the most experience with bombs, but at the front was Spencer. He had his gun lowered- keeping the man’s attention on him and him alone, so he seemed to forget that there was a team off armed agents ready to shoot.

 

Then came the talk down; it was perfect. Emotional, insightful and unique for this man only. From the looks the team exchanged, it was clear Spencer had picked up on parts of the profile- parts of the unsub’s story- that they hadn’t. Eventually, Spencer got close enough to the man, leaving his gun behind, to gently remove the trigger from the man’s grasp and begin to take the explosive vest off. He handed it carefully to the bomb team, moving to them, and asked the man if he had any other weapons. He nodded, and Spencer went to collect them; only, someone, the head of the local police department, moved in to arrest him.

 

That seemed to burst the fragile bubble the unsub had been in, where Spencer was the only one dealing with him.

 

Pulling a gun, the unsub devolved completely, waving it and shouting. Someone, one of the police or team, they were unsure, pulled the trigger and the man went down. There were no paramedics there- the news team had only been there as there was a public event- so Spencer ran forward, knocked his gun away, and began applying pressure to the wound and turning him so he was less likely to bleed out.

 

The paramedics came and relieved a blood-soaked Spencer, who quickly returned to his team.

 

Seeing him- finally, finally- safe, Remy let out a stream of curses and fell to the floor, clutching his hair. His muscles ached slightly from the strain of tensing them in an effort not to run after Spencer.

 

Someone- Logan? Scott? Professor? Asked him if he was okay, but Remy could only keep swearing, which got quieter as he leaned back against his chair.

 

“It would be really stupid t’ ask m’ Penny t’ quit his job, non?” He asked, opening his eyes to the concerned faces of his team.

 

None of them, even Rogue, Storm or Logan, had seen Remy like that openly. It was shocking and scary, different as it was to that cocky man they knew daily.

 

“Yes, brother, I think he would protest to that. Spencer is gifted and experienced in his field, he would not fall easily.” Storm’s gentle words reminded Remy that, even though he was pretty sure his mind was blanked out in relief, there was a distinct feeling of pride and respect to seeing his love save everyone like that. Spencer was a thousand times stronger than anyone realised; his inner-strength was one of the main things that made Remy fall unceremoniously in love with him.

 

“Well den, mes amis, I’ll just have t’ marry him instead.”

 

“What?”

 

“Marry him. Dere’s no way he’s goin’ into situations like dat with me havin’ no legal rights t’ see him if he’s hurt and such. Besides, did y’s see him?”

 

“What?” _Were they on repeat?_ Remy thought.

 

“Did y’s see him?” He asked, urgently, “he was brilliant, non? Even though he was givin’ poor Remy a heart attack, he was brilliant. If it wasn’t f’r dat fool o’ a policeman he would o’ held him off without firing a shot. I’m goin’ t’ ask him, it’s our anniversary in just over a week, I’ll ask den.” Remy stood up, grinning from ear to ear, and dived for the laptop, sashaying out the room with ‘rings’ already in the google search space.

 

“What?” The group repeat, each of them looking at each other in varying levels of shock. Though, Scott’s reaction topped all, his mouth hanging open and eyebrows shot up like they had been dragged there. He started kneading his head and said, “poor, poor Spencer.” Compared to the usual, composed ‘golden boy’ he was, it was strange to see such a wild expression on his face, as if the laws of the land were running backwards.

 

Meanwhile, in a different state, Spencer looked at the engagement ring he had bought for Remy the second time they met. He had touched it as he helped a shop keeper pick up a dropped box of stock, and had a vision showing Remy’s face when he gave it to him. He bought it in a rare moment of impulse, determined that one day he would see that expression on Remy’s face. Now, looking at it, he felt a burst of warmth and knew that the time was close. He’d have to ask JJ if, as of that moment, 11 months, 24 days, 18 hours, 19 minutes and… 32 seconds, was within the acceptable social boundary for a proposal.

 

Not that Remy cared for social convention anyway.

 

Four days before the anniversary Remy had dragged Storm into what she was pretty sure was the last jewellery shop in New York.

 

“Brother, I love you, but we’ve seen many beautiful rings that I’m sure Spencer would love. Pick one.”

 

“Non, it has t’ be de right one Stormy, it’s just so awkward. He’s an old-fashioned homme in some ways, y’ know, like 1900’s bookish smarts an’ dat. He won’t wear some over-de-top, glitzy thing.”

 

“Like you wear?”

 

“I’m de hottest one of us all; don’t even deny it, Stormy. If y’ could pull it off, y’d wear it, too.”

 

He waved her off before she could reply, distracted by a half-forgotten section of rings.

 

It was comical for Storm, watching her brother freeze, eyes bugging, before going boneless and splitting his face with a grin.

 

“Found it.” He said casually, as if he hadn’t spent the last six days in a panicked frenzy, whipping through more magazines than they knew were published, shouting “wrong!” with increasing volume at each issue.

 

Remy held it out for her, and she agreed completely. It was a band of gold, coloured with a pale rose/yellow (natural gold, it was called) tint, giving it a subtle old fashioned look, while remaining quite modern. It had a square diamond inlaid, the edges reaching each end of the ring, which was only half a centimetre thick. While simple, it was designed faultlessly, and was beautiful. Remy turned it into the light, and the diamond gave off small rainbows.

 

“Dis is de one, Stormy.”

 

“I couldn’t agree more.”

 

Storm concealed her amusement at watching him pay for the ring, and saw him keep the receipt, but cross out the price, and fold it under the ring’s cushion. At her raised eyebrow, he said, “part of de gift, Stormy, I paid for it, see, no thievin’ f’ m’ Penny, non.”

…….

Spencer fiddled with the box before holding it out for Jean-Luc to see. This was beneficial as visions had too much interpretation to be completely reliable; he needed secondary sources, and who knew Remy better than his father? On the other hand, this was not how he imagined meeting his future father-in-law.

 

The ring was white gold, which, as it moved towards the centre of the finger, each side split into two bands, so it could wrap around the 8.2 mm oval ruby in the centre. It was a deep red, but when the light hit it, it glowed as bright as Remy’s eyes. Another attractive quality was that it was very strong but easily repaired, which, for Remy’s lifestyle, was vital. It was a popular design, though it was not something Spencer would wear, but he knew that Remy was one of the few people who could actually wear it and make it look perfect, unlike most.

 

“For Remy, you’ve got yourself the perfect ring; he’ll love it.” Jean-Luc said, decisively.

 

Jean-Luc had found out about their relationship. How, he wasn’t sure. He could only guess the man had paid someone to watch Remy, or used someone inside the mansion to update him. He knew Remy was not in regular contact with his father and that it pained Remy.

 

He also knew that he wasn’t sure if he liked Jean-Luc or not. The man was very hard to read.

 

Like Gideon, he showed alpha-male traits, but in a transcendent way. This did not endear him to Jean-Luc. His body language was strictly under control and his words were stoic in delivery, unless he didn’t want them to be. It make him on edge and uneasy, straining his social awareness to it’s very limits. He wondered if the visit had anything to do with the tradition of asking the father for their child’s hand in marriage; although that was usually reserved for daughters.

 

“So, um, Mr.LeBeau, what can I do for you?”

 

He smiled, “I jus’ want t’ meet de man who has m’ homme’s heart.”

 

Reasonable. Believable. In character from what Remy had told him…. But the man was clearly aiming to intimidate. Meeting Spencer’s eyes, he continued,

 

“Alright, Dr.Reid, y’ don’t seem t’ fond o’ beatin’ around de bush, so I’ll jus’ come out wit’ it; why d’ y’ love m’ son?”

 

“Alphabetically or chronologically?” Spencer was completely serious and honest, but with a small backing of attitude.

 

Jean-Luc relaxed completely and gave an honest smile.

 

“Dat’s what I like t’ hear, homme… though, y' do know if y' hurt him I'll bring down a world o' pain on y'?"

 

"If I hurt Remy, sir, then I'd deserve it." Again, Spencer frank honesty seemed to knock Jean-Luc's guard.

 

After  long minute where Jean-Luc considered Spencer, who met him back stare for stare, he said, "call me Jean-Luc, homme, none o' dis 'sir' crap in families, oui?"

 

….

 

Will LaMontagne sat wide-eyed as JJ said they were going round to Spencer’s to help him discuss his proposal. While he had got along with Remy the few times that they met, he still set off a warning in his gut and Will could swear on anything that he’d seen him before. He just couldn’t remember.

 

JJ, Will knew, was still on the fence. That was to be expected though, Spencer was basically her family and JJ was very protective. Unfortunately, she couldn’t decide on whether she liked him or not, but after their fight about Emily and then Maeve, JJ didn’t know how to voice her suspicions without offending Spencer.

 

They pulled up just as a tall, handsome man in a suit and trench coat left the building. He got into a chauffeured car and drove off, just as Spencer sent a rare text to JJ- _you need to get here quick! Remy’s father just came round!_

JJ laughed and showed the text to Will, who froze. _That’s it, that’s what I’ve missed_.

 

“Holy shit! That was Jean-Luc LeBeau! Remy’s his son! Do y’ know what this means?”

 

“Will, what is it?”

 

“Jean-Luc is the leader o’ the Thieves Guild in New Orleans! I knew I recognised Remy from somewhere! Half o’ every New Orleans police career is devoted t’ bringing them down! JJ- Remy is the freakin’ Prince o’ Thieves!”


End file.
